Chapter Text
“Y/n?” Peter called out as he stumbled into the kitchen, hugging Dolly tightly to his chest. He rubbed the sleep out of his tired eyes and yawned, seeking out the comfort of his mother. “Y/n, are you in here?”
“I’m right here, baby.” She laughed, waving her hand from the other side of the kitchen. “It’s a little early for you to be up, is everything okay?”
He made his way over and raised his arms, shaking his head as he silently pleaded to be held. Y/n didn’t hesitate to lift him up and hold him, rubbing his back while he settled into her arms. He clung to her tightly, like she would disappear at any moment.
“Sweetheart, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
He sniffled and nodded his head, not loosening his grip until he drifted off on her shoulder. Y/n made her way to the living room and got settled on the couch with him, content to hold him until he woke up. She covered him with a blanket and kissed his forehead before sending a text to her husband.
He did it again.
The clinging thing?
Yup. I don’t think he’s ready for us to be gone this long.
I know. Maybe we should just bring him with us?
We’d have to change the movie tickets. I’m not taking our son to a horror flick.
I’ll handle it. You change the dinner reservation.
Get him a suit too. I want him to feel like he fits with us.
I’ll pick it up when I’m done helping Sam with his project. Happy anniversary, my love.
Happy anniversary, Jamie.
Y/n let out a relieved sigh as the stress of leaving Peter for the night faded away. 5 years was an important anniversary, but Peter's trust in her and Bucky was even more important. Thankfully Bucky seemed to share that sentiment. Sam and Steve were safe people, and Peter loved spending time with them, but he clearly wasn’t ready to spend a night away from his parents. The signs of stress he was exhibiting were clear signals that he needed Y/n and Bucky to step in and make sure he knew they wouldn’t force him into a situation he didn’t feel safe in.
When Peter woke up for the second time that morning, it was in Y/n’s arms. He snuggled into her embrace and let out a little sigh, enjoying the security that came with being held by his mom.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Y/n laughed, smoothing down his bedhead. “How you doing?”
“I’m okay.”
“You hungry?”
Peter nodded and Y/n carried him to the kitchen. She made him some eggs and toast, holding him on her hip the whole time. She knew she could’ve just sat him at the table, but Peter clearly needed the connection right now that came with being held.
“I wanna talk to you about something, okay?” She started after he had eaten. “It’s nothing bad, I promise.”
Peter nodded his head, anxiety flooding through him despite her reassurance. “Okay.”
“Do you feel safe staying with Sam and Steve overnight?”
“They’re fun.” Peter said quietly. “I’ll be fine.”
It was the same response she had gotten when they had told Peter about their plans. But this time, she pushed farther. “That’s not what I asked, sweetheart. Do you think you’ll feel safe?”
Tears burned in Peter’s eyes and he stared down at his lap, terrified to tell his mother the truth. Y/n got out of her chair and crouched down beside Peter’s, guiding him to meet her eye. A single tear dropped down his cheek and she gently wiped it away with her thumb.
“Pumpkin, it’s okay if you’re not ready.” She said softly. “I’m not going to be mad at you.”
Peter’s breath hitched and he managed to whisper to her. “I just- I love you and Bucky. I don’t want you guys to leave. What if I wake up that morning and you never came home?”
“Oh baby… come here…” She pulled Peter into her arms, letting him cling to her like a much younger child. “That will never happen. We will always come back to you, no matter what. We could never abandon our son.”
“I don’t wanna be alone again.” Peter cried quietly. “I want my mom and dad.”
“Okay, okay sweet boy. You’re gonna come with us. You’ll stay with us all night.”
“But it’s past my bedtime.”
“You can take a nap later, and if you fall asleep we’ll carry you. You’re our son, that’s what you deserve.”
“Aren’t I going to ruin it? Won’t I mess up your special night?”
“Peter, it’ll be even more special with you there.”
He looked up at her with wide eyes, shocked by her reassurance. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Does Bucky think that too?”
“I can guarantee he does.” She could still see a smidge of doubt in Peter’s eyes, and got her phone out, “Let’s give your dad a call so he can tell you himself.”
“Don’t tell him I’m here. I wanna know what he really thinks.”
“Okay, pumpkin. You gotta stay quiet then, okay?”
He nodded his head and Y/n dialed the number.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Buck. I just wanted to check in with you about tonight.”
“Hmm?”
“How do you feel about Peter coming with us?”
“Are you kidding? It’s gonna be fantastic! I get to spend all evening with my two favorite people.”
“So you don’t have any problem with him coming with us?”
“Of course not. Do you?” Bucky sounded incredibly confused, and Y/n laughed.
“No, not at all. I was just checking.”
“I ordered Peter's suit, can you ask him what color tie he wants? I want to match him.”
“Blue!” Peter blurted out. “That’s the color of Y/n’s dress. I helped her pick it out.”
“Peter? Hey, bear! I didn’t know you were there, how’re you doing?”
“M’okay,” he said quietly. “Are you sure this is okay?”
“Oh sweetheart, it’s more than okay. Your mom and I are so happy to have you coming with us.” Peter smiled a little at that, and Y/n felt relief hit her. “I’ve gotta go back to work now kiddo, but I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Okay, I love you.”
“Bye sweetheart, good luck!”
“Bye, I love you guys!”
Y/n hung up the phone and Peter climbed into her lap, hugging her tightly. “Thank you.”
“Of course, pumpkin. How about we set up something special for when your dad gets home?”
Peter’s eyes lit up and he nodded his head vigorously. “Yeah! Something awesome!”
They got dressed and headed to the store, and Y/n made a beeline for the flower section. “Your dad likes dark blue and sunflowers, so let’s try to find something like that.” They looked together for a little while, and she spotted a bouquet of sunflowers with beautiful dark blue flowers surrounding them. “Oh wow, look at that one.”
“That’s a sunflower and delphinium bouquet.” Peter said quietly.
“How’d you know that?”
“I read a flower book at school once. I really liked it.”
“Look at you… my little smarty pants.” Y/n ruffled his hair and Peter beamed up at her. “Would you like to pick some flowers for your room?”
“Really?” Peter's eyes lit up and he smiled even wider. “You’d buy me flowers?”
“Absolutely. Go on and pick out a bouquet.”
Y/n felt her heart swell with affection as she watched her little boy inspect the flowers, smelling the blossoms and carefully touching the soft petals while he decided what he wanted.
“I like the red cornflowers,” Peter said happily. “What do you think?” He proudly held up the bouquet.
“They’re absolutely lovely. Go ahead and put them in the cart, sweetheart.” Peter set his bouquet down and happily took Y/n’s hand when she offered it. “Now we gotta find Bucky’s favorite snacks.”
“We can’t forget the Oreos!” Peter said urgently.
Y/n laughed and squeezed his hand. “We won’t.”
When they returned home, Y/n and Peter arranged everything on the kitchen table and Y/n set the card she had bought for Bucky right in front of the display. She trimmed his flowers and set them in a vase, before setting it right behind the pile of goodies. Then, she turned to Peter.
“Where’s your bouquet, honey?”
“In my room.”
She peeked in his room and saw his flowers laying on his nightstand. “Let’s get those in a vase, yeah? That way they’ll last longer.”
Peter nodded and she taught him how to trim the stems and arrange them in a vase step by step. He couldn’t stop smiling while she taught him, and she made a mental note to do small things like this with him more often. That smile on his face was a sight she wanted to get used to.
When Bucky finally arrived at home, Peter and Y/n stood by the table and waited for him to open the door. He entered and Y/n let out a pleased laugh when she realized that he had brought home flowers for her.
“You copied me.” She teased, coming to kiss her husband. When she pulled back she saw tears in his eyes and her brow furrowed in concern. “Buck? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I- I didn’t think I could ever have something like this…” he murmured, pulling her closer in his arms. “You and Peter and the flowers and the food… It’s a lot.”
She held him tightly, and pressed a kiss to his temple. “You deserve every bit of it. You’re a wonderful husband and an incredible father. I’m so proud of you, my love.”
Peter cautiously approached, and tugged on Bucky’s shirt. “Did we do it wrong?” He asked with wide eyes. “We tried really hard, I promise.”
Bucky reached down and scooped him up, kissing his forehead before hugging him tight. “You did it perfectly, Peter. This is the best gift I could’ve possibly received today.”
“Really? But you’re sad…”
“I’m not sad, bear. I’m just… emotional. I had a hard time when I was younger, remember? I feel really lucky to have you and your mom. You guys make me feel so special and so loved, it’s a little overwhelming sometimes.” Bucky explained, voice shaking with emotion.
Peter wrapped his arms around Bucky’s neck and hugged him as tight as he could, nuzzling his face into the crook of his father’s neck. “Do you feel safe with us?” He whispered.
“Yeah, sweetheart. I do. I feel very, very safe with you and your mom.”
Peter nodded his head. “I feel like this too sometimes. You and Y/n make me feel safe and it makes me feel a lot.”
Y/n rested a steady hand on Peter’s back, and the little family retired to the couch to sit together for a while. They ate the snacks that Y/n and Peter had chosen for Bucky, and talked about the plan for the night. Bucky had changed the tickets to a more child friendly movie, and Y/n had made sure their table for two was now a table for three.
“Do you wanna see my flowers?” Peter asked excitedly. “Y/n bought them for my room!”
“Absolutely, how about you go get them?”
Bucky and Y/n heard a loud crash moments later from Peter’s room and came running in to see Peter standing in the doorway, frozen in fear as he stared at the shattered remains of the vase he had been carrying. Bucky acted on instinct and swept Peter into his arms, moving him a safe distance from the shattered porcelain before setting him down.
“Are you hurt?” He asked anxiously, looking Peter over for any sign of an injury.
Peter shook his head as he burst into tears. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
“Shhh, it’s alright, you’re alright.” Bucky murmured, pulling his son into his arms. “I’m not mad at you.”
Peter just cried harder, clinging to Bucky’s shirt and trying his best to speak through the rough sobs that were wracking his tiny body. “Please! Please don’t hurt me!”
Y/n came close to where Bucky was holding Peter and gently rubbed his back. “No one is going to hurt you here, Peter. It’s just a vase.”
Peter could barely even register her words as he kept sobbing in fear, his mind flooded with memories of being punished for stupid mistakes like that one. He should’ve known he’d ruin something eventually. He wasn’t cut out for parents like Y/n and Bucky. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, I swear.”
Bucky could feel tears burning in his eyes as he listened to his son cry in pure fear. He knew that cry all too well, and it broke his heart that Peter was in enough pain to sound that way. He gently pulled Peter back, and held him steady with a hand on each shoulder. “Bear, listen to me. We don’t care about the vase. Not even a little bit.” He said calmly, trying not to let his voice shake. “You are so much more important than a stupid piece of porcelain.”
“But it’s Y/n’s special vase! She told me!” Peter cried.
Y/n moved to crouch right beside Bucky, making sure that Peter could see both of them. “Pumpkin, I can buy a new vase. I can’t buy a new you.”
Peter slowly began to calm down, although he was still crying softly. “Aren’t I in trouble? Aren’t you gonna punish me?”
“Of course not, sweetheart.” Bucky said gently. “Accidents happen, they’re never a reason for punishment.”
“Are you still my mom and dad?” Peter asked, breath hitching as he tried his best to stop crying.
“Baby, it’s just a vase.” Y/n said softly, confused as to why he would ask that question. “Of course we’re still your mom and dad.”
“Peter, when we said forever we meant it.” Bucky said, gently wiping the tears off of his son's cheeks. “You’re our son, nothing can ever change that.”
Peter pitched forward into his parents arms, letting them hold him tight and cover his face in kisses while he cried tears of relief. He clung to them as tight as he could, unable to even think about letting them out of his sight. By the time he had calmed down he was exhausted, and he felt Bucky scoop him up while Y/n ran a hand through his hair. They settled down in their bed with him, and Peter his under the covers when he realized what he had just done.
“I’m sorry.” He said quietly. “I didn’t mean to mess up your anniversary.”
“Pumpkin, you didn’t ruin anything.” Y/n said softly. “It’s okay to be scared. We’re your mom and dad, our job is to take care of you.”
“But I broke your vase, and I cried all over you guys. It’s supposed to be your special day.”
“Nothing could possibly be more special than making sure our kid feels safe with us.” Bucky said, leaning back into the pillows with Y/n. “We’ve got plenty of time before dinner, there’s no need to panic about an accident.”
Peter stayed quiet, seemingly out of points to make, and Y/n peeked her head under the covers. “Come on out, baby. You need a nap if you’re gonna make it through the whole night.”
“Will you stay here with me?”
“C’mere, bear.” Bucky opened his arms up and Peter tentatively crawled into them, curling into his fathers chest as his mother wrapped a blanket around him. “All that crying must’ve been exhausting.” Bucky softly empathized. “Your mom and I will stay right here until you wake up.”
Peter sniffled and nodded, finding it awfully hard to keep his eyes open now that Bucky’s arms were around him. He reached for Y/n and she laid down beside Bucky, wrapping an arm around Peter so that he was entirely surrounded by his parents. He drifted off to sleep in no time, comforted by the fact that when he woke up, he’d still be safe, warm, and above all else, loved.